Coast Guard responds to collapsed dock near Indiana Harbor

BURNS HARBOR, Ind. — The Coast Guard responded to the collapse of a dock at Arcelor Mittal Steel in Burns Harbor, Ind., Tuesday.

Marine investigators from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago received the report of the collapsed dock at 6 a.m.

The collapse was apparently caused by the weight of a product known as mill scale from the facility. The mill scale shifted, causing the dock to cave in.

At the time of the collapse, the motor vessel Algoma Transport, a Canadian freight ship, was moored at the dock conducting cargo operations. The partial collapse of the pier caused the vessel to ground at the dock.

Coast Guard personnel are working with representatives from Arcelor Mittal to investigate the incident and monitor the condition of the pier. The Coast Guard worked with a salvage master from North American Marine to safely free the grounded vessel.

There have been no injuries or pollution reported as a result of the pier collapse. Damage assessments of the collapsed dock and the Algoma Transport are pending.

“The situation could have been much worse, and we’re thankful that there haven’t been any personnel casualties as a result of the dock collapse,” said Cmdr. Jason Neubauer, commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Chicago.

“We are currently coordinating a structural assessment of the vessel at a safe berth and working with Arcelor Mittal to stabilize conditions at their facility.”